A city full of culture

Cape Town’s natural beauty, cosmopolitan flavour and rich cultural diversity offers guests a variety of ways to experience the oldest city in South Africa, hence its name: “The Mother City”.

Its Top Destination status is reaffirmed by visitors year after year, while its 350-year old history provides a wealth of places to visit and cultural influences to enjoy. Experience this multifaceted city in a variety of ways. Walk the summit of Table Mountain – at 1086 metres above sea level, there’s a spectacular 360-degree view of city, sea and peninsula

Explore the city, including the Company’s Garden, where food was grown for passing ships in the 17th century, the South African Museum, Houses of Parliament, National Gallery and St George’s Cathedral. Browse for mementos at the market stalls of Greenmarket Square. See the Castle of Good Hope, South Africa’s oldest building, with its collection of old Cape paintings.

Take in the highs and lows of Cape Town history, from the Grand Parade, where Nelson Mandela addressed the nation after his release from prison, to the District Six Museum, which highlights the bitter forced removal of its population during apartheid. The brightly painted houses and cobblestone streets of the Bo-Kaap provide wonderful photo opportunities but don’t ignore the poignant history of the people living there. A visit to the spice shop is also a must!

Cape Town was nominated ‘World Design Capital’ for 2014. The city’s chosen theme for the year was “Live Design, Transform Life” and evidence of this can be seen all over the city, in particular in Woodstock where a new design precinct has developed. For the art lover, Cape Town has a myriad of art galleries, street art and gardens to explore, from classical and traditional to avant-garde installations and township art.

Explore a map of this journey

Take a look at the activities included in this journey as well as some of the optional extra activities you can choose to add on to it. You can zoom in and hover over the different activities to find out more about them, or scroll through the activity descriptions under the map. You can also filter the activities displayed depending on what you’re interested in.